2016 National Book Week launched in Nelson Mandela Bay

Sep 6, 2016

Nelson Mandela Bay residents will not just improve their enunciation but also improve their competiveness and acumen by making use of this education tool said Cllr Siyasanga Sijadu, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture at the launch of National Book Week in Uitenhage on Monday.

“Reading and writing will not only ensure that you will be able to articulate yourself better, it also provides you with the acumen to compete better in the marketplace.

“One problem persists in especially our township schools and that is that reading has been reduced to a chore. It is even scarier that Xhosa people cannot read or write in IsiXhosa. It is unheard of in countries like India and China that people cannot read or write in their local dialect. We cannot have this.

“Reading transcend all boundaries as you can live in Uitenhage and still be up to date regarding developments elsewhere in the world,” Councillor Siyadu said.

South Africa commemorates National Book Week from 5 to 11 September - an initiative of the South African Book Development Council (SABDC), in collaboration with the Department of Arts and Culture.

National Book Week is an important initiative in encouraging the nation to value reading as a fun and pleasurable activity and to showcase how reading can easily be incorporated into one’s daily lifestyle.

Mthatha-born Unathi Magubeni shared his trials before getting his first book Nwelezelanga The Star Childpublished which is now available at most trendsetting bookshops. Magubeni was discouraged to follow his dream since writers are not well paid, but pursued his passion with perseverance and tenacity.

On Tuesday, library staff would undertake a train journey between Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth from 07:00 to encourage commuters to read more. The determined team will take the train from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage after 14:00 for the same purpose.